Best way to clean a junkyard driveshaft?

I snagged a front DS out of a junkyard as mine was apparently trash and would need to be cut apart and rebuilt. All the joints feel nice and tight, but I plan on replacing them anyway. The problem is that this shaft is absolutely caked with dirt. Like a half an inch thick dirt. Is there a good cleaner that would be recommended that would help make this stuff come off? And preferably something that won't absolutely destroy the u-joints that are in it or any rubber seals or anything (it has the double-cardan in it and IDK what that is made of)? I might need to throw it on next weekend as there is a potential snowstorm being forecast, and I'm not sure if I can afford to have the new joints put in before then or not, so I'd like to be able to use this one as-is (albeit cleaned of course) for a week or two if necessary until I can get all new joints put in.

I use brake cleaner, a wire brush, and paper towels. Get it close-enough to clean, then use rattle can black and it will shine like new. People are amazed at how good my spares look and I only spend 5 minutes on them.

If there is one near you, take it to a coin op self serve car wash. The one near me has hot water soapy high pressure wash and a degreaser. Knocks the grime off anything.

If there is heavy grime, scrape the thick stuff (solids) off with a putty knife first.

Oil Eater. Costco.

I use a putty knife, steel wire brush, then a brass wire brush with diesel. Then Simple Green, hot water and a scrub brush. WD-40 on some spots if they are really stubborn and finish with an acetone wipe down. I don't know what the new formula is for brake cleaner, but it isn't nearly as good as the old school stuff and costs more.

I use Rustolium black grill paint, seems to be solvent and oil resistant. A few really light coats works better, it does nave a tendency to fish eye if you spray it on too thick. If you can find some Hammerite spray, original formula, in flat black, it will last a long, long time. The flat black isn't actually flat but kind of low gloss and covers a little better than the gloss paint does.

Putty knife & engine degreaser, or putty knife & pressure washer, or putty knife & brake clean...
In any / all cases, start with a putty knife. Used one to clean my '57 chevy truck's frame. 1/2" caked on oil, grease & grime. Putty knife, dude. Putty knife.

I have a big can of elbow grease that I have to break out from time to time.

All of the above...combined with some time and energy. Especially if you're trying to protect the parts, seals, etc. you can mask that area off and work on it AFTER you break out the big guns for the rest of the shaft A wire wheel, good soap/cleaner, SOS, get it down to bare metal.

I soak stuff in WD40 overnight, it breaks up mud and rust flake pretty well